Merkel-Trump photos reveal power play at tense G7

Elena Summers

The photo first appeared on Merkel's official Instagram account around noon Saturday. The disparity prompted some to wonder: Was Merkel - or someone on her staff - trolling the US President? It puts Shinzo Abe in a difficult position - the Japanese premier has tried hard to cultivate a warm relationship with President Trump and the two are said to have met at least 10 times since he was elected to the White House. Mr Trump departed before the other leaders, and complained that America was "like the piggy bank that everybody is robbing".

U.S. President Donald Trump called earlier on Friday for Russian Federation to be brought back into the global grouping.

"This annual gathering typically is meant to display a show of unity, but Trump has forced a more combative tone, with messy public feuds breaking out over trade disputes". Italy's new Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later echoed the call in a post on Twitter.

The G7 - an informal annual summit of democracies with highly developed economies - took place on Friday and Saturday in the Quebec resort town of Charlevoix in Canada, which holds the rotating leadership this year.

Image Emmanuel Macron left his mark on Donald Trump's hand after a firm handshake

Mrs Merkel's photo has taken off on social media, spawning all sorts of memes and amusing caption contests. To many, the picture was something more than "a thousand words". Angela and Emmanuel and Justin.

With as neutral an expression as possible, she stares directly at President Trump, who sits on the other side of the table.

Soon afterwards, Trump rejected in a series of angry tweets from Air Force One the text of a G7 consensus statement - traditionally a paean to shared Western values and objectives under American leadership.

Share this:

Hot News

What Dwyane Wade Thinks LeBron Will Do In Free AgencyJun 12, 2018 - 02:33
And as much as I love the Knicks, my favorite team, the front office shouldn't be trusted to put the proper pieces around LeBron. He had multiple 40 point triple-doubles during the playoffs and played the entire game during a lot of the postseason games.

Rafael Nadal clinches 11th French Open title in ‘Claywalk’Jun 11, 2018 - 03:44
Not much more of a daunting task than doing so against Nadal at the French Open , where he is now 11-0 in finals and 86-2 overall. World number one Rafael Nadal claimed his eleventh title at Roland Garros, defeating Dominic Thiem in straight sets on Sunday.

What you need to know: San Mateo County Election DayJun 11, 2018 - 02:25
Furthermore, the Liberal party won't be able to regain official party status until the next election is held four years from now. She said she had stayed focused on her campaign throughout and was looking forward to leading the official Opposition.

Chinese Hackers Stole Large Amounts of Secret U.SJun 10, 2018 - 01:45
Investigators told the paper the hack was carried out by the Chinese Ministry of State Security, a civilian spy agency. Pentagon officials would not name the government contractor.

LeBron might sign with Rockets, former teammate Bosh saysJun 10, 2018 - 00:54
Trade rumors have surrounded the five-time All-Star for a while now, but his performance may turn the tables. Even still, this series has plots and subplots that will ripple through the league next season and beyond.

England 2-0 Costa RicaJun 09, 2018 - 10:56
The friendly was played just 11 days before the Three Lions' opening World Cup match in Russian Federation against Tunisia. Captain Harry Kane is expected to start up front and to be flanked by two of Raheem Sterling , Lingard, Alli or Rashford.

Hilary Duff Pregnant With Baby No. 2Jun 09, 2018 - 10:00
She said: 'I mean, this is like the third time that we've dated and I think that what [Selena] says has so much merit to it. It's the second child for Duff and the first for Koma.